As Dani'er's biological father said, the territory of the Duanwei tribe is indeed quite large, but the group of people rely on animal husbandry for a living, and their lives are ultimately a bit tight.
Too many people have died on their way from Dayan to the depths of the grasslands. Given the current situation, neither Dani'er nor Long'er wants any more conflict to occur.
In the tent at the very center of the tribe, a woman who was nearly forty years old was making milk tea. Her eyebrows were curved, and she did not seem as sharp as the people of the grasslands, but she was tall and did not look down on anyone. There were two boys, about seven or eight years old, staring at the pot and swallowing their saliva.
The tribal chief sat in the center of the house, looking at a map, thinking about expanding the territory further.
"Chief, an army has arrived outside," a tribal sentry reported as he entered.
"The Yalan Royal Court?"
"Not only the Yalan Royal Court, but it seems there is also an army from the Central Plains."
The man stood up, and the woman quickly helped him put on his back armor, saying something to him.
"I'll wait for you to come back."
Such is the nature of life and death on the grasslands; to return alive is considered extremely fortunate.
The leader, Da Nier, stood tall and looked at the leader who had come out, and stepped forward first to speak.
"I am Ya Lanqing, and I have come to see my mother."
She didn't use "mother concubine" but rather "mother".
The man frowned. He knew his lover had given birth to the fifth princess at the Yalan Royal Court. What was her purpose in coming here now? To take her away? To take her back to be tortured?
The scimitar was drawn, its sharp blade pointed at the girl's face as it spoke.
"There is no such person in the Broken Tail Tribe. Fifth Princess, please return."
“It’s not the Fifth Princess, it’s the new king.” Feng Shitai, who was now Da Ni’er’s guard, spoke up from the side.
"Da Ni'er left too quickly; the news of the new king's ascension hasn't even reached here yet." The dark-skinned girl raised an eyebrow and then said...
“I want to see my mother. I’ll go with you by myself.”
"The army is waiting outside. I won't take her away, and I don't need to worry about not coming back."
Huo Xiaolong was right behind Da Nier. She was somewhat opposed to it. If she went, it would be the second time she would risk her life. However, there were people around, including Zhong Erjie's subordinates. It wouldn't be good to contradict her in public.
The tribal chief nodded in agreement. The woman had been hidden away by his followers as soon as Dani'er revealed her identity, and because they were in such a hurry, she hadn't even left the tent.
The dark-skinned girl looked around the tent; her mother wasn't inside, so Da Ni'er asked...
Where is she?
"What do you want to see her for? You can tell me first."
Upon hearing Da Nier's voice, a strange noise suddenly came from behind the screen. The fact that this chieftain could obtain a screen from the grasslands showed that he was quite capable.
The girl noticed the commotion, understood what was happening, and then spoke.
"I'm here to apologize to her."
"Apologize?" the man asked, puzzled.
Even if it's time to apologize, it's not her place.
Da Ni'er was also a victim. I heard that ever since I helped her escape from the Yalan Royal Court, her daughter has also suffered a lot.
A princess was demoted to a slave.
The man was somewhat afraid to look at Da Ni'er, his heart heavy with guilt.
He pulled out a stool, draped a blanket over it, and said to Dani'er...
"Please sit down."
"Yes, it's an apology, an apology on behalf of the Yalan royal family."
The dark-skinned girl didn't sit down, but instead stared behind the screen, knelt on one knee, and said...
"Mother, I know you're here."
"I was ignorant when I was young and may have said something that hurt you. I apologize to you now."
When she was little, the woman didn't care about Da Ni'er. Da Ni'er went from cautiously seeking attention at the beginning to hysterically trying to get her attention in the end.
But it was no use. The woman covered her mouth behind the screen, letting tears stream down her face. The two children beside her were getting anxious, but their mother had told them not to make a sound.
"I have not come today to disturb your life."
“I hated you, hated that you left me alone in the royal court to suffer, and thought that you were crazy to run away.”
“But not anymore. My mother and friends in the Central Plains taught me that a woman like you is always worthy of respect.”
“Your clan was wiped out, you were taken back as spoils of war, and even after giving birth to your child, you did not give up on yourself. Mother, you did the right thing.”
“I am here today to apologize to you on behalf of the Yalan Royal Court. Now, I am in charge of the Yalan Royal Court. You can live openly and honestly without having to hide anymore. As for the Duanwei tribe, I will teach them farming methods, and they will not be subject to my control. As long as we do not wage war, you can all live well.”
What do you think?
In her last question, Da Ni'er was asking the tribal chief, "What do you think of my proposal? Should we stick to the old ways when the Grand Preceptor was in power? Or should we choose to submit?"
Looking at the dark-skinned girl who had stood up, the man looked behind the screen with a pleading expression. He already felt sorry for Da Ni'er. His actions back then made him feel that Da Ni'er was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. So now, he couldn't find a way to refuse the girl's suggestion, which was entirely beneficial to her.
The method of planting is what the grassland people have been thinking about for generations. They had long heard that the tribes near the Great Yan had already started cultivating the land, and they wanted to as well.
But he didn't know what to do because of his wife's reservations.
"Father, Mother is crying so hard."
"Sister, you're also a mother's child, right? Can you please stop her from crying?"
Two little boys ran out from behind the screen; one grabbed the man, while the other ran to Da Ni'er and shook her sleeve.
The tribal chief said somewhat embarrassedly.
“She never denied your existence. Even after having two children, she still told them, ‘You have a sister.’”
"You are the older sister that Mother mentioned."
Da Nier nodded, turned around and walked out of the tent. She could give him a reply whenever she wanted; as the new queen, she was giving the tribal chief time to consider. She was currently struggling to control her emotions and wanted to cry; she needed to go back and cry to Huo Xiaolong and Xiaohai Jie.
“Ah Qing.”
The woman called out to the dark-skinned girl from behind.
Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes red-rimmed as she walked to Da Ni'er's side, reached out, and touched Da Ni'er's face with a trembling hand, then continued...
"I accept the apology."
It wasn't that she didn't accept Da Ni'er, but that she couldn't accept the blood of the Yalan Royal Court in her child's veins; it was a thorn that would forever remain in her heart.
When Da Nier was born, the woman was also unresponsive and treated the baby as a stranger. But when a stinging sensation came to her chest, she couldn't help but feel maternal instinct.
The treasure map and key of their native tribe were transformed into wooden whistles and hung around the children's necks, but that was all they could do.
She couldn't let this child hold her back.
The woman pulled the wooden whistle from the dark-skinned girl's arms, and with a slight movement of her fingertips, a treasure map appeared before Da Ni'er. She spoke...
"This is the diagram, and this is the key. Being a king is tiring. If your mother can help you in any way, it will be a way of making up for it."
Da Ni'er smiled and nodded, taking the blueprints from the woman's hand. Then she hugged her and whispered in her ear.
"Mother, take care."
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